It is so much more than a marvellously beautiful portrayal of nature: the Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis of Assisi explores the question of human existence and the meaning and reason for our lives. The Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina set the text to music in 1997 to mark the 70th birthday of the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, using the unusual arrangement of cello, percussion and chamber choir. The contemporary English composer John Tavener also wrote his work Svyati for cello and choir. Besides these works, Stabat Mater and O Crux by the Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt will be performed in the Minoritenkirche. Nystedt sees the roots of his modern and experimental compositions in Gregorian chants.